One Dead, Two Hospitalized After Cessna 185 Crashes Into Water Near Kodiak, Alaska
Why It MattersFloatplane and wheel-ski operations in coastal Alaska work over open water where an aircraft can sink quickly, so recovery of the wreck often decides how much investigators can establish about cause.
What happened
A Cessna 185 crashed into Blue Fox Bay near Kodiak, Alaska, on Friday afternoon, and one person died, according to a spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The NTSB said the aircraft went down around noon and became submerged in the water. Two other people were transported to local hospitals.
The NTSB and the Alaska Department of Public Safety have officers en route to the scene.
Industry impact & what to watch
Light single-engine aircraft such as the Cessna 185 are a common tool for moving people and cargo around Alaska's coast and islands, and much of that flying happens over or beside open water. When an aircraft ends up submerged, the work of locating and recovering the wreckage shapes how much investigators can later determine.
The cause of the crash has not been determined, and the NTSB's investigation is only beginning. The agency's on-scene work, together with the Alaska Department of Public Safety, is the next point at which more detail about the aircraft and the circumstances can be expected.
